


can you hear a trickling sound? (it's the faulty faucet of truth)

by justwantedtodance



Category: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV)
Genre: 1x13 canon divergent, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-03-29 14:41:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13929198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justwantedtodance/pseuds/justwantedtodance
Summary: After losing the water case, Rebecca sits in the courtroom feeling dejected until one curious Nathaniel Plimpton comes along to meet the fiercely determined lawyer who caught his interest. Set during 1x13 and slightly canon divergent after.





	1. Chapter 1

So far, the trial is going really well. Her defense is good, the questions she asks are all running as smoothly as they can, and Rebecca Bunch is killing this. Not that she’s overconfident, but she believes in the solidity of her case . . . until, as always, Audra Levine steps in to ruin it all.

“Great, and how long have you been a diagnosed schizophrenic?”

“16 years,” Bert answers sadly.

The courtroom recoils in shock and frustration as Rebecca asks to take a brief recess. She’s angry with herself for basically having no leg to stand on at this point, as the evidence is now deemed dubious. Frantically, she tries to think of a plan for what to do next, but everything seems hopeless. She paces around the table trying to find some way to save this case from hot water.

The groans from the courtroom echo over the television as employees gather around to watch what happened. One Nathaniel Plimpton leans against the doorframe and watches as the court unfolds into a panic knowing that there’s almost no chance to save this case. Some of the other lawyers are discussing the events of the trial, and Nathaniel stands back quietly stirring his coffee and feigning disinterest in the case. If his father had anything to say about it, he shouldn’t ever get involved in cases that were beneath him.

And then something amazing happens.

Post-recess, Rebecca stands before the court warring with herself over using Trent’s confiscated evidence in her hand to win the case. As amazing as it would be to give her clients what they deserve and snag a win against Audra, she realizes that it’s not about the win and that honesty is most important in this situation. So, she sets the folder on the table and begins to make her statement.

“People who live not 45 minutes from here, two hours in rush hour, are being relentlessly exploited by a big, fancy, greedy Los Angeles corporation. Now, our documents prove that, and I hope you don’t rule out Bert’s evidence just because, you know, he’s got a few issues. Don’t we all?”

There’s mumbled chatter from the employees in the break room, and Nathaniel becomes intrigued. Something in her statement resonates, and he nods to himself in understanding. He takes a sip of his coffee and continues to lean back and observe the fearless, determined woman on the screen.

“You know, six months ago, I would have tried this case very differently. But now I’m a resident of the San Gabriel Valley, and all I can do is hold myself to the same standard of integrity and honesty of the people I represent. Your Honor, this is a community of decent, hard-working people, and they deserve a voice just as much as anyone else. So no matter what happens today, win or lose, I’m going to continue to fight for them until they receive justice. That’s all I got.”

Rebecca sits back down with a sigh and squeezes Paula’s hand. She tried her best, and she hopes it’s enough to give these people the recompense they deserve.

Nathaniel’s father enters the room behind him as the other lawyers are chatting and debating over what is going to happen. “Who the hell is that girl?”

Nathaniel wears a stunned smile and a look of utter disbelief and awe. “I have no idea. But I’m about to find out.”

* * *

They lost. It’s a shame that the evidence isn’t enough to save the case today, but Rebecca promises to continue to fight for these amazing people. Rebecca turns her chair around and nervously stands to face her clients.

She can’t believe it. These nice, hard-working people who supported Rebecca and stuck with her through the case, even though they lost, weren’t mad at her. She should be relieved that no one’s out to get her, but at the same time, Rebecca feels like she’s let down lots of people. Her clients, Darryl, Paula, _Josh_ . . . most importantly, though: herself.

“I’m just gonna pack up. I’ll meet you outside, okay?” Paula makes her way to the door beaming with pride at how dignified and brave Rebecca stood even in the face of defeat.

After giving some advice to Audra that she knows she won’t take, Rebecca shuffles her documents and attempts to sort her papers into her bag. She really just needs to be alone right now, though the thought of being alone with all of her self-deprecating thoughts sends a disturbing chill down her spine. As she’s lost in a spiral, Paula knocks and peeks her head back in the courtroom door.

“Rebecca? Someone wants to see you.”

“Oh god, if it’s Audra, tell her to kiss my ass,” Rebecca groans. Paula pushes the door open to invite the person inside.

“Mmmm, not quite.” Paula steps away, and a man enters the courtroom who is significantly taller than Josh, nonetheless handsome though.

“Hi, you’re Rebecca Bunch, right?” She nods sadly. “I’m Nathaniel Plimpton of Plimpton, Plimpton, and Plimpton in Los Angeles.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” Rebecca accepts his handshake politely and, _oh, that’s new._ Instead of a more formal or professional handshake, this one feels almost friendly in the way his hand cups her own. _Look how nicely your hands fit together, and what the fuck are you saying, Nathaniel? Pull yourself together._

“Listen, I’ve been watching the trial, and I just wanted to say that tough cases happen. You can’t win them all. Sometimes, the enemy’s just faster and smarter and tougher than you.” Rebecca leans back against the council table clearly frustrated.

“Okay, look, if you’re here with your stuffy LA law firm to gloat and rub it in my face that I didn’t win the case, then congratulations. You’re doing an awesome job at making me feel better about myself,” Rebecca says tiredly and sits on the edge of the table, knuckles gripping the edge tightly as she tries to contain her emotions threatening to spill out. Nathaniel cautiously takes a few steps closer to her but maintains a safe distance.

“That’s not actually what I was going to say. May I?” Nathaniel gestures to the open space next to Rebecca on the tabletop, and she shifts over to make him more room, inviting him to sit with her. He takes a seat and clears his throat before speaking again. “I wanted to say that I think it’s great work what you’re doing, and this was one tough case. Believe me, we’ve all been there.”

“Yeah, because I’m sure you and your white male privilege have had your share of tough cases.” Nathaniel’s expression and posture takes offense to the comment, but it’s nothing he hasn’t heard before, and it’s certainly not the worst. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” Rebecca inhales deeply and her shoulders sink forward as her voice begins to weaken.

“It’s just . . . this case was supposed to be a game changer, you know? This was supposed to be the case that proved that the little guy could win. But we didn’t. The playground bullies are always stronger, and the handsome jock doesn’t fall in love with the outcast weirdo.” Rebecca tries to contain her tears but it gets more difficult as the realization sinks in that because they lost the case, this was all for nothing. Josh will never love her, and Valencia and Greg and everyone else who doubted her . . . were right all along.

“I get a feeling that this is about more than just the case.” Rebecca bitingly lets out a puff of air and leans back on her palms.

“Wow, you’re perceptive. Where’d you go to school, UCLA?”

“Stanford, actually.”

“Of course you did,” Rebecca mumbles with an eye roll.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, that it’s just so predictable. I mean can you _be_ any more of a white?” Nathaniel shifts closer to Rebecca and senses a challenge coming on.

“Fine, then. Where did you go to school?”

“Harvard. Yale.” His visibly shocked reaction tells Rebecca that he’s either impressed or skeptical, though either way, it brings a small smile to her face, and she hasn’t smiled in quite some time.

“Harvard and Yale, huh? So what the hell are you doing in a place like this?” Rebecca scrubs her hands over her face with an exasperated sigh.

“Oh god, just listen to the theme song. It explains everything.”

“The what?”

“Nothing, okay? Look, that’s not a conversation we’re getting into today. I’m way too tired to rehash all the details of that.” Rebecca takes a long sigh and leans back on her palms again, staring at the ceiling lights above her head. Nathaniel moves to stand up but then turns back towards her.

“Maybe that conversation won’t happen today, but who says it can’t happen tomorrow night?” This time, the visible shock appears all over Rebecca’s face.

“What?”

“Let’s grab a drink. You look like you could use one.” Nathaniel extends his business card to her as she swivels to face him head-on with one of her legs folded neatly over the other.

“A—are you asking me on a date?”

“I’m asking you for a drink, Bunch.” Her eyes flit between his card between his fingers and the almost-smirk on his lips; hot damn, he’s tall. Rebecca stands up and swipes the card from his fingers, pulls Nathaniel’s ear down to her mouth, and whispers her response inside.

“I’ll think about it.” She lets him go and moves to grab her bag, and the confident way she struts away from him is exactly what drew Nathaniel in initially, and he’s glad to see that side of her (though her back side is an added bonus.) This time, Rebecca offers her hand to shake in parting. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mister Plimpton.”

“Same to you, Miss Bunch.” Nathaniel walks towards the courtroom door and takes one last look at the stunning brunette lawyer standing at the council’s table with a sensual smile and a gaze of promise in her eyes. Yes, Rebecca finally finds her breath after Nathaniel leaves the room, and as bad as she felt earlier, she’s suddenly feeling much better. She twirls the small paper between her fingers and laughs to herself at how much of a charming asshole Nathaniel can be. In a panicked hurry, Paula enters the courtroom and finds Rebecca calm and smiling staring off in the direction Nathaniel left.

“Okay, what the _hell_ was that?” Rebecca sighs, both from confusion and contentment, because now it seems someone new has piqued her interest. As infuriating as Nathaniel is, Rebecca can’t help but wonder what’s underneath the hard lawyer shell she once wore. She now has an aching curiosity to find out what’s beneath it. One drink can’t hurt anyone, right?

“I have no idea. But I’m about to find out.”

* * *

The next morning, Rebecca texts Nathaniel to accept his offer.

He texts her back with where to meet, and Rebecca feels nervous butterflies spring to life in her stomach as always before a date . . . but this wasn’t a date. Right. This never happens to Nathaniel, though; he doesn’t get nervous about meeting someone for drinks because it’s a fairly no-strings encounter. So why does he suddenly feel anxious?

Rebecca shows up a little late because she hates to seem too eager but she also doesn’t want to leave him wondering where she might be. Confident and airy, she spots Nathaniel at the bar and makes her way to him, leaning on the counter next to him.

“Hey, Stanford,” Rebecca teases to grab his attention. Slowly, Nathaniel turns his head to the left and spots a significantly happier Rebecca Bunch in a royal blue dress resting her elbow on the countertop.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Harvard and Yale. Take a seat.” She slides into the barstool next to him casually and smiles at him as he orders each of them a drink.

One drink turns into two as they start discussing familial relationships, then both quickly elect to change the subject and say that they would need a lot more alcohol to dive into their family issues. Of course, they never forget the intense Ivy League rivalry between them, and it slips its way into conversation through undercutting comments and insinuating playful jabs. Rebecca realizes that she hasn’t done this with anyone in quite some time. Finally, he’s someone who’s intelligent enough to appreciate her humor, and she’s missed this kind of banter she used to have all the time back in New York.

And then there’s the million-dollar question.

“So, we didn’t have the conversation yesterday, but knowing more about you makes me that much more curious about what you’re doing out here. Why did you settle for West Covina when you’re clearly Los Angeles potential?” _Clearly_ , hey, that’s a compliment!

Rebecca wonders which version of her story she should tell him, though she has so many now that it’s hard to keep them straight. The good news is that she doesn’t know him beyond their recent interactions, and it’s not like he knows any of her friends, so it won’t be a problem if she just tells him the truth. But the truth is a faulty faucet, and once you spill the truth, nothing can stop the leak in the sink. Rebecca takes a deep breath and starts her story.

“Okay. So I was working hard at this _amazing_ firm in New York, and they wanted to offer me junior partner, but I turned it down because I was just super unhappy with my life. I was crying a lot; it was not one of my finer moments. And then, on the street, I saw my old boyfriend from summer camp in high school, Josh Chan, and he made me feel all warm inside like glitter was exploding inside of me. And he told me about this place and how everyone was just so happy here. So, I packed up and moved to West Covina about six months ago. And no, I did not move here because of Josh because that would be crazy, and I am not crazy. I called Darryl a few weeks later and got set up at Whitefeather, been working there, and yep, here I am.” Her rambling story leaves Nathaniel’s face unsure of what emotion to display.

“Wow. Okay, that was a lot to process. Let’s just take this slowly, shall we? So, what I’m seeing is that this Josh Chan person made you feel happy when you saw him, and—“

“Oh my gosh, yes. He makes me feel so happy, and all I want is to just spend time with him, but he has a girlfriend who’s kind of a bitch but a super cool ‘I wanna be you’ type bitch.” Nathaniel laughs a little and takes a sip of his drink.

“Okay then. On the subject of the glitter simile, though, glitter is actually really messy. Super hard to clean up too, so be careful with that stuff. Alright, so you followed happiness to West Covina. That’s not crazy. Though I have a question for you.” Rebecca nods and gestures for him to ask. Nathaniel slides in a little closer to Rebecca, taking his volume down. “You adamantly said you didn’t move here for Josh, which makes me think that there’s something more to this Josh Chan situation than you’re letting on. Why would you feel the need to say that unless you were trying to convince yourself or me of something? Something like . . . that you _didn’t_ move here for Josh Chan?”

“So, what, you’re psychoanalyzing me now,” Rebecca scoffs.

“Am I succeeding?” He’s a breath away from her, staring down into the miniscule part between her upper and lower lips. When he catches her eyes again, the hint of defensiveness is still there as much as Rebecca tries to push it away.

“No comment,” she whispers and turns away from Nathaniel to sip her drink. Beneath the bar, Rebecca crosses her legs and tries to hide the building pressure between her thighs. What the hell is wrong with her? Josh is supposed to be the one who makes her feel like that, not this arrogant Stanford prick who invites her for drinks once and suddenly thinks he knows her.

“Ah, the beauty of a Stanford education.” And there he goes bringing it back up again. Rebecca audibly groans and sets her drink on the bar with a little more force than necessary.

“God, take your Stanford education and shove it up your ass. You’ve known me all of two hours, and you think you’ve got me figured out, huh?”

“I never said that.” There’s a long pause between them and neither is sure how to resume the conversation. Rebecca, obviously irritated, refuses to meet Nathaniel’s eyes, but he sits and studies her for a moment to decide how to proceed. “God, you are one _fascinating_ woman, Rebecca Bunch.” He doesn’t mean to say it out loud, but it does and unfortunately comes out more adoringly than he intends. Nathaniel rests his elbow on the bar and watches for her reaction. Still, she says nothing, but at least it brings a small smile and a hint of a blush to her cheeks.

“I know,” she responds quietly and takes a long sip of her drink, polishing it off with a sigh. He almost doesn’t hear her, but her response makes Nathaniel smile because at least she believes it. She turns her legs to face Nathaniel and leans into her hand that’s propped on the bar. “And you, Nathaniel Plimpton, are one cocky son of a bitch.”

“I know,” he chuckles under his breath and leans in to Rebecca’s ear. “What are you gonna do about it?”

There’s a hard-set challenge in his eyes as he waits for her to make a move. He knows she finds him attractive, and selfishly, he wants her to forget about Josh Chan for a half-second and just jump on him like he knows she wants to. Rebecca’s eyes trace his face, and she takes a moment to decide her plan before grabbing his tie and forcing him to stand up with her. Rebecca walks towards a hallway out of sight from prying eyes and beckons Nathaniel to follow her. Before he can touch her, she’s already pulling him in for a passionate kiss. Damn, he’s a good kisser.

She really knows how to take control when she wants to, and as much as Nathaniel craves control, it’s still incredibly hot to watch Rebecca when she knows what she wants. Her tongue pries Nathaniel’s lips open and begs for permission to taste him. Nathaniel’s hand reaches up to grab a fistful of curly hair as the other traces down the curve of her waist, eventually settling on wrapping around her hip to pull her closer. For someone still encompassed with a high school romance, the girl sure didn’t kiss like a high school girl. Though, if they didn’t stop soon, they both might be heading to court on public indecency charges instead.

Rebecca reluctantly breaks away from Nathaniel and looks into his arousal-glazed eyes, still an enchanting blue she’d love to swim in.

“Let’s get out of here,” she says breathily as she runs her hands across his chest. He calls an Uber to take them back to his apartment without hesitation.

The anticipation builds in the backseat of the car. Rebecca’s trying to hold back her sounds of pleasure and asks the driver to turn on some music to hopefully shield the sound of their activities going on. Nathaniel’s hand finds its way below her skirt and dips a single finger below the material of her underwear to find wetness already present.

“Nathaniel,” Rebecca whispers, and she rolls her hips into him to silently ask for more than what he’s giving her. He shakes his head in response and continues to slide his single finger in and out of her.

“Be patient.” Rebecca looks up at him with a pout on her lips and in her eyes, and she almost has him for a second, but then he feels her walls constrict around his finger. “Nice try, but that’s not going to work on me. Anyway, we’re almost there.” He slowly takes his finger from her pussy and wraps his lips around the top of his finger to taste her, then extends the same finger to her. Rebecca greedily sucks his finger in her mouth and keeps her eyes trained on his as she swirls her tongue around his finger. Just a little sneak peek for later, she thinks.

Minutes later, Rebecca and Nathaniel crash through the front door of his apartment and barely make it inside before their hands explore each other’s bodies, pulling at layers of clothing in a heated frenzy. Nathaniel’s back is against the door and Rebecca takes her mouth away from him to concentrate on undoing his belt. Of course, she’s distracted by Nathaniel kissing his way down her neck to her shoulder to her collarbone in a slow, teasing trail of intense pressure followed by nothingness. Once she finally opens his belt and pants, she surprisingly remembers to ask if he’s been tested and waited the three-month window before going back again. He’s one of the few who knows about the window.

When she wraps her mouth around his dick, Nathaniel swears he sees stars. It’s the combination of her berry-colored lipstick and the warm slide of her tongue and her sneaky little hand that comes up to join her mouth that sends him into a speeding train of pleasure. Nathaniel moans her name and looks down at her on her knees clearly enjoying herself, and Rebecca takes the moment to catch his eyes and wink at him before returning back to her mission. She doesn’t make it too long before Nathaniel grabs her hair in one hand and urges her to stand up with the other, and Rebecca instinctively wraps her legs around him as he guides her back to his bed.

He undresses her slowly, not romantically so, but he takes his time to know each part of her body, all the ways he makes her moan and what places she begs to be touched. Rebecca is impressed with the fervor of his tongue against her folds and concludes his tongue is talented in most any genre. He lets her come apart as her hips push into his mouth, and the hum he lets out vibrates against her and sends shockwaves of intense pleasure through her as she grips the sheets in her hands.

Finally, they’re moving together, and something just feels right. Sure, there’s no question that Nathaniel’s a generous lover and knows how to take care of a woman, but something about this moment just feels like destiny. Their bodies intertwine in beautiful harmony, and it doesn’t feel like just sex, at least not to Nathaniel. It’s the start of something bigger, it’s possibility, it’s . . . just a damn good one-night stand.

Rebecca doesn’t stay but leaves him a note asking him to call her again if they ever wanted to have another debate on whose school is better. He doesn’t because he knows that Josh Chan is her glitter, and however clean he may be, he’s not sure he wants to be the consolation prize when the glitter begins to fade.

* * *

Then, the universe takes a weird and unexpected turn months later.

Enter one Rebecca Bunch in purple and pink swim gear all ready to relax and finally get to go to Raging Waters with her now boyfriend Josh Chan.

“Hey, what up, what up, what up?” The glum expressions of her coworkers confuse her, so she asks for more information. “What’s with the faces? Karen, did you try to cook a chicken in the microwave again?”

“Not today, but it can be done,” Karen replies confidently.

“Well, look who’s finally here. Harvard and Yale really taught you about punctuality, didn’t they?” Rebecca whips her head around to find _fucking Stanford_ smirking at her from one of the tan conference room chairs, still handsome as ever.

“Nice to see you too, Stanford. I see you’re still as much of a smartass as ever.” Rebecca crosses her arms over her chest and glares at Nathaniel.

“Wait a second, you two know each other," Darryl asks. Paula looks back and forth between the two lawyers and the questioning faces of her colleagues. Without looking at anyone but each other, Rebecca and Nathaniel respond in unison.

“It’s a long story.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chipper as usual, Darryl breaks the palpable tension in the room. “Well, since we all know each other now, Rebecca, Nathaniel is the new co-owner of the firm.” Her eyes widen in disbelief, and she turns back to Darryl indignantly.

“Wait, the what now? Darryl, you—you sold the firm? And you, _you_ ,” Rebecca says pointedly at Nathaniel, “bought—no, that’s not—“ Nathaniel lifts an eyebrow at her, and Rebecca moves across the table to where Darryl sits opposite of Nathaniel and leans down to talk to him. “Darryl, no. Why would you do that? You can’t do that.”

“Listen, Rebecca. I have expenses, alimony. Madison’s teeth are coming in all forwards and sideways, and plus, Nathaniel and his father are a big deal, and they can really take us to the next level.” Rebecca sighs, resigned.

“But Darryl, I liked our level.” From the windows, she can see Josh signaling to her to hurry up in the conference room.

“Trust me, this is going to be great.” Rebecca tries to acknowledge Josh silently that she’s coming in one second, and it catches Nathaniel’s attention, turning around to find Josh in his own swim gear.

“So, umm, thanks for the update, everyone, but, unfortunately, I will not be here today. I have something to do, but let’s make sure to catch up tomorrow, okay?” Rebecca is walking towards the door but stops abruptly when Nathaniel’s voice pulls her back.

“Miss Bunch? May I see you in my office, please?” She snaps her head around and makes it a point to roll her eyes before he stands up. Once again, she signals to Josh to hang around for a few more minutes.

She’s following him into Darryl’s office where a moving crew is taking things out and carrying them down the hall towards Rebecca’s office.

“This isn’t your office; this is Darryl’s office.”

“Oh, right. I moved him into your office. It’s taken these guys hours to get the crap out of here; it’s like a gas station in New Mexico. What is all this stuff anyway?” Nathaniel sits at his desk but Rebecca stands in front of him after closing the door.

“Umm, it’s _not_ crap. He is one-eighth Chippewa.”

“Is _that_ how he got into law school? Okay, that makes sense.” Rebecca sighs and finally takes a seat across from Nathaniel. She contemplates how to address the elephant in the room of what happens now that he’s her boss but doesn’t have the slightest clue on how to begin. They hooked up; he didn’t contact her again after, so where does that leave them?

“So, are we not going to discuss the context of our relationship?”

“What’s there to discuss,” Nathaniel asks disinterestedly as he writes something down.

“Oh, I don’t know. How about the fact that we’ve seen each other naked, and I might have liked you a little bit, but you refused to talk to me after that night? Maybe we should talk about that. Or how about that you’re my boss now, which is probably because you conspired it just to get under my skin, huh? You wanted to get back at me for what, not making the move to reach out to you? Is that it?” Nathaniel blows her flurry of questions off once again.

“You’re saying that the human flip-flop you walked in here with isn’t your boyfriend or something?”

“Excuse you, his name is Josh Chan, and he’s wonderful,” Rebecca scoffs. Nathaniel drops his pen and looks up at her for once.

“How the tables have turned.” Nathaniel looks out of the glass office windows to examine Josh making a cup tower near Paula’s cubicle. “Hmm, that’s interesting. I’m not seeing any glitter.” Rebecca sends a glare Nathaniel’s way but the fact that he remembers the glitter analogy takes her by surprise.

“I don’t expect you to. You’re kind of a loveless asshole.”

“On the contrary, dear. The asshole, I’ll fully admit to, but the loveless part? Well, I’m not a monster, Rebecca.” She laughs acerbically and leans on her arm propped on his desk.

“Alright, asshole, since you seem so proud of it, why didn’t you call me, hmm? Was little baby Nathaniel scared he might get rejected for the first time in his entire life?” Rebecca pouts her lower lip out in that teasing way that reminds Nathaniel of her backseat impatience many nights ago.

“Put that lip back in your mouth before I bite it,” Nathaniel says almost under his breath, but he knows Rebecca hears him based on the way her eyes blow wide with a smirk and she leans back in her chair crossing one leg over the other.

“So, after all this time, you _are_ still attracted to me. You can admit it, it’s okay,” Rebecca smugly responds as Nathaniel gives her an exaggerated eye roll.

“Oh, please. There’s plenty of fish in the sea. Speaking of which, if your boy wants to change the water cooler on his way out, that would be great.” Rebecca looks out at Josh who’s now shooting balls of paper with Tim into the trash can across the room, and it’s endearing because he’s Josh and she loves him, but Rebecca can’t seem to erase Nathaniel’s disapproval of Josh from her head.

“Be honest with me, please.” Nathaniel folds his hands on top of his desk as he stares evenly at Rebecca. “Why here? Why this firm? You could have chosen any old riff-raff law firm in the San Gabriel, yet you came _here_ where you knew I work. If not for me, then why?”

Nathaniel pauses to take a breath and attempts to appear unaffected by Rebecca’s prodding questions. Underneath his guise of disinterest towards her and his ridicule of the other Whitefeather employees, Nathaniel always saw potential in the firm as a whole . . . and also Rebecca. He told her so during the water case when she accused him of psychoanalyzing her, and he looked into those beautifully soft but sad eyes and—

“Business, Rebecca, plain and simple. Darryl wanted something I could offer, so I took advantage of it. Plus it’s very easy to come in and have things your way when you’re one of two competent people who work here, and both of those people are sitting in this room. I’ll be honest, after the water case, you’re the one who put this place on our radar, so it’s kind of your fault that I’m here.”

“Yay for me,” Rebecca says unenthusiastically.

“It’s about time we start running things like a _real_ business around here. My father and I demand nothing less. So, if you’ve got any plans, I recommend you cancel them, and then cancel them again so that they know it’s really cancelled, starting with whatever you’ve got going on today because we’ve got work to do.” Nathaniel clicks his tongue at Rebecca, and in frustration, Rebecca stands up and sighs.

“Fine. Then, I quit.” She starts to walk away with a dramatic hair toss but notices Nathaniel isn’t saying anything, so she repeats herself. “I said, I quit.”

“Okay, great. You’re leaving. Now I only have to fire four people.” Rebecca takes her hand off the door and resumes her earlier position in front of Nathaniel’s desk.

“Wh—what?”

“Yep. We have to get 250K out of the budget by Friday at 8 A.M per my agreement with my father, so we’ve got to come up with it somehow.”

“Just get it out of new business,” Rebecca suggests.

“No one can do that,” Nathaniel scoffs.

“I can,” Rebecca says with a shrug.

“Oh, but you just quit, so it’s not your problem. I guess those people are on their own.” Rebecca looks sadly at her coworkers who peer into the office with anxious faces from afar. Nothing can ease the tension in the room, and they all know that something’s wrong.

After breaking the bad news to Josh about Raging Waters but refusing to cancel their dinner plans with Josh’s parents, Rebecca finally moves the last of her things into the cubicle next to Paula’s.

“Well, at least we’re cubicle buddies.” Paula laughs nervously, and Rebecca tries to reassure her that it’ll all be okay and that no one would be getting fired, though it’s hard for Paula to believe.

“I should have seen this coming. The minute he walked in here, I knew we were all in trouble.” Rebecca takes a look back across the room to Nathaniel, typing away at his computer.

“You’re telling me,” Rebecca says quietly.

“Hey, what ever happened between you two anyway?” Rebecca tries to evade the question by using the long story excuse again. “Cookie, I’ve got nothing but time. Hidey-hole?” She ducks down into the space below the top shelf of her cubicle, and Rebecca slides her chair up to the partition and leans down.

“Okay, so he came in after the water case debacle, and we talked. It was a surprisingly nice conversation, despite that he went to Stanford. We went out for drinks the next day, and things got a little heated. We fucked that night, and I never heard from him again.”

“Did you try to reach out to him?” Rebecca says nothing and purses her lips together suddenly feeling guilty for not making the move when she had the chance. “Rebecca, why not?”

“Because . . . I don’t know, I was upset about Josh and didn’t think he’d ever forgive me for losing the case, but he did, and then he kissed me when I came over to apologize, so I kind of just forgot because I wanted Josh so badly.” Rebecca pauses, and Paula prods her further.

“But . . .?” She’s sensing there’s a “but” to this monologue whether or not Rebecca will admit it.

“There is no ‘but,’ Paula. I love Josh, and he makes me happier than I ever could imagine. Nathaniel’s just distracting me with his stupid handsome face and hot ass. I mean, come on, he’s such a dick, and even if I’d _maybe_ like to tap that again, he’s no Josh Chan and never will be.” Rebecca lifts herself from the hidey-hole and clears her throat as she organizes some papers on her desk.

“I know you love Josh, and this is exactly what you wanted from the beginning, so don’t let anyone ruin it for you no matter what.” Rebecca nods and tries to clear her brain of negativity surrounding her relationship with Josh and the banter that her boss continues to incite throughout the day.

* * *

Rebecca’s at work still well past the normal operational hours, and Nathaniel has to wait until everyone is gone for the day before he can leave himself, so he amuses himself in his office tossing a water polo ball into the net near the framed picture he has of himself playing for Stanford. She’s sitting at her desk with her head in her hands trying not to fall asleep when she knows she should finish this section of her brief before she heads home.

“Working hard or hardly working,” Nathaniel asks behind her, and Rebecca doesn’t know he’s there until he says something; in response, she squeaks and tries to cover it with a cough.

“God, you’re still here.” She sounds almost excited that he is, but she’d never give him the satisfaction that she didn’t mind his distant company in the office.

“I have to be, I’m supposed to lock everything up after every employee leaves.”

“You know, I do this all the time, Nathaniel. You don’t have to wait for me. I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.”

“While I don’t doubt that, I think it’s best if I wait.” Rebecca turns back to her computer screen and stares at the flashing cursor on her document that’s imploring her to keep going but saves her progress so far. “What are you working on? Anything I can help with?”

“Not really, just a brief. It’s pretty simple, nothing too stressful.” Rebecca feels Nathaniel’s hands caress her shoulders and press his thumbs into her sore muscles with the perfect pressure, and Rebecca gasps, closing her eyes. He sweeps her hair to one side of her neck and leans down towards her ear and just _breathes_. God, she could melt right here.

“Are you sure about that? You seem a bit stressed to me. There’s a great tool I know to relieve stress, Rebecca. Do you want to know what it is?” There’s a trail of goosebumps running up and down her arms that she hasn’t felt in quite some time, and if it’s anything like what she hopes Nathaniel would suggest just so that she could get off right now, she’d say yes to it. Rebecca nods with a small moan as Nathaniel leans in to whisper directly in her ear. His right hand reaches over to her computer mouse and clicks the red X in the top corner of her document. “Sleep. Go home, Rebecca.” Nathaniel walks back into his office to grab his belongings, and Rebecca shouts at him from her cubicle.

“I still hate you.” Nathaniel laughs a little as he flips the light switch in his office, and Rebecca takes the one by the kitchen when he strides up to her side. “I’m serious, you’re certifiably a dick, just so you know.”

“Sticks and stones, baby. Though that’s certainly one of the least hostile names I’ve been called in my years, so I’ll take it.”

They’re walking towards the elevator, and Nathaniel lets Rebecca enter first (he is still a gentleman, after all.) Silence overtakes them both, and the soft dings of the descending floors and the pulley of the elevator faintly echoes against the walls. As the elevator approaches the first floor, Rebecca and Nathaniel share a glance more heated than either of them intends. They’re both thinking non-work approved thoughts, and while Rebecca is the current star of Nathaniel’s, he’s not sure if Rebecca’s coordinate with his own.

He’s thinking of pressing her body against the walls of this elevator as the emergency alarm rings in the background, but they’re oblivious to its deafening squeal because Rebecca’s moving her hips in earnest against Nathaniel’s body, begging him for more than a kiss on the lips. What beautiful sounds Rebecca makes when she’s desperately searching for release against his pant-covered leg, and Nathaniel doesn’t stop himself from slipping his teasing fingers beneath her underwear and giving her what she craves. Two of his fingers ensconced in her wet heat, Nathaniel never wants to leave the pleasurable grip.

The bounce of the elevator as they reach the first floor and the doors open startles them both, and they rapidly blink their eyes to conceal the impression that either one of them was staring lustfully into the other’s eyes moments ago. Wordlessly, the pair walks outside and to their respective cars, but before Rebecca can turn to her right to head to hers, Nathaniel reaches out for her wrist.

“Hey.” She’s pulled back in almost flush with Nathaniel’s chest and is looking up into his eyes, and this is bad. This is so bad. Nathaniel leans in towards her ear once again, and Rebecca half-expects him to kiss her neck or something, but he doesn’t. “Don’t be late tomorrow.” Nathaniel leaves her standing where she is with a wink as he turns to head the opposite direction towards his car. The confusion Rebecca feels is similar to the feelings she had about Greg, but this time, there’s something more than primal physical attraction that’s brewing below the surface. Hot and frustrating as Nathaniel is, Rebecca is determined to figure out why he affects her like he does and secretly hopes to find ways to tease him right back.


	3. Chapter 3

The opportunity to tease him comes much sooner than she expects. Matching cardigans and all, the Chans and Rebecca stroll to their table at Pepper and Oil, a quartet of laughter as Josh tells a corny joke. Rebecca smiles as Josh pulls out her chair for her and laces her fingers in his.

“This is so great. I’m so happy that we’re having this dinner. Mom, Dad, I really want you to get to know me and Rebecca as a team, a partnership, a two-headed love monster.” Rebecca blushes and leans in to chastely kiss Josh’s adorable face.

“That’s adorable,” Lourdes says fawning over the couple across the table. “Isn’t it, Joseph?”

“Love monster. Very cute. I’m tickled,” Joseph replies with a hint of a smile.

“It’s just that Josh and I have been through so much, and we’re both so relieved that we’ve finally bridged the fjord that once separated us. Damnit.” Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Nathaniel taking a seat at a table across from her, and she stifles a groan of annoyance. The Chan fam takes a curious glance at Rebecca who is stammering to cover up her very obvious mistake. “I’m so sorry. I just went ‘damnit’ because I’m just so damn glad to be here with the Chans tonight!” She leans in to peck Josh on the lips and glares at Nathaniel, who responds with an unimpressed eye roll. Rebecca pushes her chair out and stands up. “I’m sorry, you know what? I just have to hit the ladies . . . room, I’m not a football player.” She laughs nervously, placing her napkin on the chair and leaving the table.

Rebecca, in a rage, storms up to Nathaniel’s side and he regards her coldly, wanting to be unbothered by her and her drama. “Hey, why are you spying on me, you inglorious bastard? Don’t you have better things to do on a Thursday night?”

“I’m not sure if you mean tasks or women, but to answer your question, yes. And I am not here because of _you_. This is the only decent restaurant in town, and it’s also the only place where I can find a steak that isn’t stuffed with cheese.” He thanks the waiter who brings him a martini. Fucking white people. “Now, leave me alone and go back to Board Shorts McGee and his family, okay?” Rebecca slams her hand on the table and leans over to look Nathaniel in the eyes.

“You know what, his name is Josh freaking Chan, okay? It’s not flip-flop or Board Shorts McGee or whatever other insulting name you want to call him. Frankly, you seem like you’re a little obsessed with Josh Chan. It’s, like, weird and unhealthy.” Nathaniel seizes the moment of how Rebecca is angled to not only look up at her condescendingly but to also look down at the tempting valley between her breasts and how the flowery lace details on her purple dress barely veil the slope of her chest. As she walks away, she turns back halfway towards Nathaniel and seethes, “This isn’t over.”

Before returning to the table with Josh, Rebecca pulls a waiter aside and asks to slip some American cheese into Nathaniel’s stake for a generous $100.

The $100 takes a hit to her bank account, but Nathaniel’s reaction? Priceless.

Of course, Nathaniel knows Rebecca schemed the cheese in his steak, and when he meets her eyes again, she sends him a subtle wink and haughtily flips her hair as she returns to the conversation.

Josh is going on about his job at Aloha, something or other about a return policy, and Rebecca tries to make nonverbal acknowledgement every so often to show she’s engaged in the conversation, but all she can focus on is Nathaniel turning to face her and the way his lips are curling around one of the skewered olives in his martini. She looks away for a second, only to find herself looking back at him more aroused than before a few moments later. There is no way that she’s going to let him have the upper hand; it’s time to take some action. Rebecca waits for a lull in the conversation before chiming in.

“Hey Josh, could I talk to you for a second? I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Chan, would you excuse us?” Parent pleaser as always, Rebecca asks to be excused before pulling Josh with her to a corner where she can catch Nathaniel in her line of vision. Before Josh can ask what she wants to talk about, Rebecca pulls Josh in by his neck for a heated kiss, much the same way that Rebecca did to Nathaniel months ago. It’s demanding and a tiny bit sloppy, but Rebecca is still turned on because she knows that Nathaniel can’t keep his eyes off of her.

No matter how he tries to deny it, watching Rebecca kiss Josh—hell, someone that isn’t him—stirs a flame of jealousy in him. Nathaniel shouldn’t be envious that someone like _Rebecca_ is locking lips with someone else when he knows how much better he can do and has done, but there’s something about those damnable, vulnerable eyes and the many ways she says his name that keep him wanting her beyond just a warm body for a single late night. What the fuck is wrong with him?

Josh pulls away and keeps his hands on Rebecca’s shoulder. “Not that I’m complaining, babe, but what’s going on? You said you wanted to talk, and now you’re kissing me. Is everything okay?” Josh expresses concern with a layer of skepticism as Rebecca wraps her finger around a piece of his hair near his ear.

“Of course, everything’s fine. It’s just . . .” her eyes shift sideways to find Nathaniel’s face curled into an odd mix between a glare and a smirk. “Listen, it’s just been a long few days at work. I’ve been so busy and stressed, and I just need you right now. Do you think we could maybe pick this up when we get home?” Josh responds with another kiss and leads her back to the table where their food is waiting for them.

As they finish their meal, stuffed beyond belief, they’re waiting on the check when Rebecca’s phone vibrates in her purse, and she checks the caller ID to see who it is.

“I’m sorry, this is work, I should probably take this.”

“But it’s after hours,” Josh responds questioningly.

“I know, there’s just this case that Paula and I are working on, and I think she made some progress. I promise I’ll be back in a second, okay?” Rebecca kisses Josh’s cheek and steps out of earshot before answering her phone. “What the fuck do you want, Nathaniel?”

“Come outside.” Demanding as usual.

“It’s after 6 P.M, I don’t take orders from you,” Rebecca scoffs.

“From what I remember last time, it was well after 6 P.M when I gave you instructions on—“

“Shut up and make it quick. My future in-laws are waiting.” Rebecca doesn’t give him time to respond as she jams her thumb into the red button on her screen and walks outside in hot pursuit of Nathaniel. “I’m not in the mood to play games with you right now, so what do you want? Do you want me to apologize for the steak thing? Because I could, but I won’t mean it.” Nathaniel steps closer towards Rebecca.

“That’s funny how you said you’re not in the mood to play games, Rebecca, and yet, it’s exactly what you’ve been doing all night. Why is that? Are you not getting enough attention from your man? Even better, you are, but you know somewhere _deep_ down inside of you that it’s nothing like what you could be having with me.” Rebecca actually laughs at his attempt to seduce her.

“Oh my god, Nathaniel. You’d love it if this was about you, but it’s not. It’s really flattering to know that you probably go home at night and imagine how much better it would be with my hand wrapped around you instead of your own. But guess what? Josh Chan makes me the happiest girl in the fucking world, and I don’t need you telling me what I do and don’t want.” She’s about to storm off but turns back to Nathaniel, taking her voice down. “And by the way, green’s not really your color. Get over me.”

* * *

So far, the “getting over Rebecca” thing is going well for Nathaniel. Of course, he spends his time bragging about his sexual conquests specifically when Rebecca is in his proximity around the office, but he’s not thought about her naked since the night at dinner. And now that she struts around always with her left hand first, he has no reason to.

The weather reports are buzzing with news about taking precautions, as the Santa Ana winds are heading across the valley over the next few days. Most everyone knows what to expect from “The Devil Winds” (Karen reminds them every chance she gets) except for Rebecca. Josh tells her that his allergies flare up, and it’s normal for people’s behavior to change when they blow through, but she remains skeptical as the sun shines outside the conference room window.

“Hold on to your panties, look at those winds. They’re here, the Devil Winds are here.”

“Can we all please try to get through a meeting without actively being embarrassing. Is that too much to ask, Karen?”

All of a sudden, the window creaks open and papers on the table nearby start to fly everywhere. Rebecca, at the seat closest to the window, stands up to close the window, but another forceful gust of wind separates the two halves of her shirt unbeknownst to her until Karen makes a remark on how beautiful her boobs are. Embarrassed, she crosses the halves over each other and laughs it off nervously as she shuts the window. Rebecca turns around to find one wide-eyed Nathaniel staring at her like he could devour her over the table without hesitation. The look in his eyes sends a chill down Rebecca’s back and raises the hairs on her arms. It’s been too long since she’s felt that.

“Goosebumps,” she whispers to herself. Damnit.

When she comes into her bedroom that night begging for Josh to give her goosebumps, he’s passed out snoring over a pile of snotty tissues and an open box of allergy medicine lying on the nightstand. Rebecca curses the winds as she lies down next to her fiancé, hoping to be whisked away into a peaceful sleep. Instead, she’s left tossing and turning until an hour or so later when her dreams settle in.

* * *

They’re standing face to face in the conference room in the middle of a heated argument, neither one wanting to back down and admit they might be wrong. Temptation pulls them closer and they’re walking a red-hot tightrope breathing hard against each other. Who moves first is indeterminable, but in the next moment, Rebecca and Nathaniel are kissing, biting, clawing at each other in a fiery mess of limbs, teeth, and tongues.

Flash forward, and Rebecca’s front is pressed to the table with her skirt pulled over her ass, and Nathaniel’s hand fists in her hair, roughly arching her back to where his mouth can reach her ear.

“Say my name. Say it, and I’ll give you what you want.” He’s got one finger moving in and out of her at a torturously slow pace, and Rebecca’s legs threaten to give out beneath her if she doesn’t cum soon.

“Oh my god. Fuck, Nathaniel.” That’s exactly what he wanted to hear, and with one motion, he slides inside of her.

Rebecca wakes up startled. “Oh my god.”

Nathaniel wakes up startled. “Oh my god.”

From miles away, they’re asking themselves the very same question. “What the fuck?”

_“They had the same dre-ee-am. They just got Santa Ana winded!”_


	4. Chapter 4

“I had the weirdest dream last night,” Karen says in the kitchen as she’s taking her breakfast sandwich out of the microwave. Paula pauses pouring her coffee to stop and stare at her wide-eyed. Was she a witch or something?

“You did? So did I.” George chimes in agreeing with Paula, though no one pays attention because it’s just Gary after all, and he goes on to talk about the dream he had where George Washington, George Foreman, Boy George, and himself were all on a yacht. But how is that amazing? His name’s not George . . . right?

Whatever his name is storms off in a rage, and Paula describes her haunting dream of Darryl in a casket hugging an oil painting of the two of them together. Once again, Karen mentions the Devil Winds just as Nathaniel’s entering to make himself a cup of coffee.

“I’m here, stop talking about dumb stuff.” Disinterested, he pours coffee into his cup and half-listens to Karen blab on about the Devil Winds, but when she asks if he had any weird dreams the night before, he looks up at her in disbelief. The screechy blonde over-sharer may be right about something.

“What? Why would you ask that?”

“Because we’ve all had weird dreams, and we think it’s because of the Devil Winds.” Nathaniel says nothing, but his face of recollection gives it away that he indeed had a dream last night. “You did have a dream. I see it. Your eyes have been touched by the . . . winds of Diablo.”

“You know what? I did have a dream. I dreamt that I didn’t work with morons.” Nathaniel turns away with a huff and heads into the conference room for his first meeting where he finds one uncharacteristically tired-looking Rebecca thumbing through a file. She doesn’t notice him come in until he sets his coffee on the table and she looks up at him.

“Hey,” Rebecca says quickly as she goes back to writing some notes in her file.

“Good morning. Did you umm . . . sleep okay?” Well, this is awkward. She’s never seen Nathaniel truly be awkward until this moment, but at least it’s confirmation that he’s not entirely a soulless robot.

“Uhh, yeah, I guess. Yeah,” Rebecca responds with forced cheeriness. She’s writing things and pretending to look busy, but her pen stops working as she’s trying to make a marginal note. “Hey, my pen’s dead. Do you happen to have one on you?”

“Yeah, I think. Oh, here’s one.”

Nathaniel reaches out his arm to hand her the ballpoint pen, and when Rebecca grabs it, their fingers brush, sending an infectious bolt of electricity through her veins. Their eyes meet. Fuck. There’s that look again. A snappy rhythm plays in the crevices of her mind much like the last time Nathaniel looked at her that way in the conference room. Rebecca retracts her hand quickly and focuses all of her attention on the papers in front of her, pressing too hard on the end of her signature that the ink bleeds through the page.

Nathaniel wonders if she knows about the dreams people have been having, and he thinks maybe that’s why she’s acting the way she is. As soon as their hands meet accidentally and Nathaniel catches a glimpse of the deep-seated hunger in her eyes, his suspicions are confirmed. He doesn’t deny that he feels the spark that her touch ignites on his skin because the look in his eyes as his mind travels back to the grip on her wrist as she’s bent over the table renders any defense useless. Nathaniel clears his throat when she pulls away, and he silently thanks the universe’s timing for sending in the rest of the Whitefeather crew to break the tension between them.

After closing out their meeting, Rebecca makes a beeline for Paula at her cubicle to get her sound relationship advice. While they’re in a bit of a friendship rift at the moment, Rebecca only trusts Paula with such sensitive information.

“Hey Paula? Code Yellow.” Paula quickly reaches in her desk drawer and holds up a tampon to Rebecca. “What’s this for?”

“Sorry, I kind of threw away that color chart you gave me,” Paula apologizes.

“Oh my god. Periods are Code Blue because that’s the color of the liquid they use in tampon commercials because men hate that women bleed. No, Code Yellow is _man_ problem.”

“Hidey-hole,” Paula gasps and stations her mugs on the top shelf so Rebecca and Paula can have a conversation in the space between the two shelves.

“Okay, so I had a graphic dream about Nathaniel last night, and now he’s giving me goosebumps, like all up and down my lady limbs. And I’m planning a wedding to the man of my dreams, is this bad?” Rebecca’s freaking out and Paula stammers to try to come up with an answer, but Rebecca pops in before Paula can get a sentence out. “Paula, Josh doesn’t give me goosebumps anymore. I don’t know what’s happening. It’s like I’m im-bump-otent with him right now, and I’m just freaking out. I don’t know what to do.”

Paula takes the mugs from the top shelf and places them back to their original spot, standing up with a sigh. “Honey, that’s gonna pass. You know how the Santa Ana’s are in town right now? Everyone here has been having weird dreams lately, so there’s no need to worry too much. As long as you don’t act on it, everything will be fine. Plus, Nathaniel’s a jerk anyway, and you don’t want to get tangled up in that.”

“Yeah, you’re right, he’s a jerk. A really, frustratingly hot jerk whose hair I’d love to just tangle my fingers in and—“

“Whoa, okay, change of plans. You need to stay as far away from him as possible. And whatever you do, do _not_ get stuck in a small space with Nathaniel.” Rebecca looks at Paula confused.

“Wait, why would I do that?”

“Well, you wouldn’t mean to, but that’s exactly what happens in rom-coms. Two good-looking people who hate each other but secretly have the hots for each other, they’re always getting stuck in snowy cabins and bank vaults and . . . the trunk of a car. I mean, it’s happened to Reese Witherspoon, like, eight times.”

“Okay, just avoid Nathaniel. Got it. I can do that. Shouldn’t be hard.” Rebecca walks away nodding to herself and keeping the mantra at the forefront of her mind whenever she catches even the slightest glimpse of Nathaniel in her peripheral vision.

* * *

Wind advisories and possible power outages don’t stop Rebecca from continuing to work. This client could really boost Whitefeather’s acclaim across the San Gabriel, and Nathaniel puts Rebecca on them because he doesn’t trust anyone else in the firm to not suck at dealing with the client. She’s done a great job at avoiding him all day, and once she assures herself that she’s the last one in the building, she packs up and heads towards the elevator, whistling a tune to herself. Rebecca’s thoughts are rudely interrupted by a hand that wedges itself between the closing elevator doors, which reopen to reveal the man she least wants to see right now. She shuffles closer to the outside edge of the elevator as Nathaniel enters and tries not to express her uneasiness at the situation.

The bright lights flicker, the elevator jumps and jerks to a halt, and Rebecca and Nathaniel are standing face-to-face under the dim emergency lights bewildered and unsure of what the hell to do now.

Immediately, Rebecca checks her phone, which has no service, and neither does the elevator alarm. She then begins to shout for help in hopes some straggler would hear her and come to their rescue.

“That’s not going to work. Everyone’s gone for the night.”

“Okay, well what’s your brilliant idea, Stanford? Did you take a course in emergency preparedness? Probably not because god forbid rich, white people like you ever have to deal with crisis.” She’s lashing out, which he completely expects from her, though it does offend him a bit.

“Rebecca, please just calm down,” he says leaning against the wall opposite of her.

“What do you mean? I’m calm, I just cannot be stuck in here, and I _cannot_ be stuck in here with you. Is anyone up there? Hello?” Rebecca’s voice captures the attention of a lone employee heading towards the stairwell.

“Hello? Who’s in there?” Thank God there’s one person who can help them.

“Hi, it’s Rebecca Bunch and Nathaniel Plimpton. Is there any way you could help us?”

“Of course, no problem.” Rebecca breathes a sigh of relief but it’s too soon. “Just as soon as you say my name.”

Shit, it’s _that_ guy who’s always there, but what the hell is his name? Of course, Nathaniel’s no help because he can’t remember either after firing and re-hiring him, so Rebecca offers as sweetly as she can instead to describe his face.

“Nope, I will not stand for this disrespect anymore. Say my name, and I’ll give you what you want.” A disgusting déjà vu floods over Rebecca and Nathaniel, and their heads quickly snap around to look at one another.

“Why are you looking at me like that,” Nathaniel asks first quietly.

“Why are _you_ looking at _me_ like _that_ ,” Rebecca whispers back.

“Why is no one saying my name?” Gus is quickly becoming heated, as is Nathaniel’s temper.

“Oh my god, if you wanted us to remember your name, you should have made some kind of impression. Now, stop being such a whiner and let us out!” Rebecca smacks Nathaniel’s chest with the back of her hand.

“Dude, don’t piss him off. He’s our only way out of here,” she says between her teeth.

“To be called by one’s name was one of the rights George Washington fought for.” He’s trying to give them both a hint, but it only confuses the pair in the elevator more. “I’m leaving for the weekend, so I hope you both enjoy one-on-one time in close quarters because you’re about to get a lot of it. How’s _that_ for an impression?” George walks away leaving Rebecca and Nathaniel to fend for themselves inside the elevator.

“Nice going, boss man. Now we’re just stuck in here.” They sit in silence for a few moments before Nathaniel gets an idea.

“You know what, I have an idea.” Rebecca looks up and waits for him to continue. “We should have sex.” Rebecca’s eyes practically pop out of her head as she waits for Nathaniel to say he’s joking. Not a hint of humor crosses his face.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I know, I’m shocked too. But hear me out, here’s what I’m thinking.”

A full-scale ballroom pops into Rebecca’s mind with a shimmering chandelier above her head as she twirls around the floor in a light pink dress and bare feet. And then there’s Nathaniel in a crisp white shirt and open bowtie strumming on a guitar that he unceremoniously throws down as he serenades Rebecca on all the reasons they should have sex while also bragging about his superior physical condition.

_“Let’s have intercourse; I mean, obviously you want to too, just super quickly have intercourse . . . Sometimes my body wants things that my mind does not. My body wants things that make my mind go ‘uh, body, what?’ We’re animals, it’s unfortunate, so come on, let’s contortion it . . . good thing I happen to have an old condom in my wallet.”_

And yes, he proceeds to pull out a condom from his wallet.

“No. No, no, no. What the _hell_ is wrong with you? Did you not get the memo that, _hello_ , I am eng-agh-ed?” Rebecca holds up her left hand proudly and makes sure Nathaniel’s eyes land on the ring. “Okay, and right now, I am out-ragh-ed.” Nathaniel leans casually against the wall staring back at Rebecca from under his eyelashes.

“You’re doing the old-timey voice, and yet I’m still attracted to you. I don’t know what kind of spooky hell dream this is, but don’t wake me up just yet.” Rebecca quirks an eyebrow at him in shock at his subtle nod to a musical.

“Remind me to circle back to the _Book of Mormon_ reference you just made, but I’m serious, Nathaniel. I am in a monogamous relationship, okay?”

“Yeah, which means you’re bored, right? The chase is over, the sex is lame, I mean, who wants that?”

“Excuse you, Josh and I are not boring,” Rebecca says indignantly. “In fact, Josh and I have a lot of sex. Yep, all day, erry day. It’s sexy-sexy time.” She waves her finger at him in a sassy Beyoncé-inspired manner as Nathaniel rolls his eyes.

“So what? I just had sex with someone this morning. It doesn’t affect whether or not I want to have sex with you.”

“Okay, Nathaniel, this is every kind of inappropriate. Listen, instead of having sex, why don’t we get to know each other in a platonic way? Okay, I’ll start. Hi, I’m Rebecca Bunch, I’m from Scarsdale, I’m an Aries-Taurus cusper, and I’m a Ravenclaw.” Nathaniel scoffs dramatically. “What, you think _Harry Potter_ is stupid?”

“No, I think when people say that they’re Ravenclaw, they actually think they’re Gryffindor, but they don’t want to sound too braggy.” Rebecca remains unimpressed.

“So, you’ve seen one of the movies, cool?”

“No, I read all of the books. I had mono in college, and my weird theatre major roommate had them, and I read them in a week.” Rebecca begs him to continue, and Nathaniel does so reluctantly. “And I think . . . they’re modern classics. Alright, are you happy now? You’ve got something on me. The tough boss likes a child wizard book; go ahead, spread the news.” Well, color her impressed now.

“Actually, I think it’s kind of nice. It almost makes you seem human.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Nathaniel retorts without much impact, and Rebecca rolls her eyes, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

They’re unsure of how much time has passed, but Rebecca’s sitting on the floor, her heels long discarded and her legs tucked beneath her, as Nathaniel sits across from her with his legs crossed trying to make her admit her Gryffindor tendencies. Surprisingly, it’s been a pleasant conversation, especially sticking to the light subject matter of a shared love of the world of wizardry.

“Okay, fine. Maybe I’m a little bit Gryffindor,” Rebecca admits with a resigned sigh, Nathaniel punching his fist in the air victoriously. “Oh, but you’re totally a Slytherin.”

“I’m not ashamed of that! Slytherin are proud, cunning, ambitious—“

“And evil. Which actually totally fits you because you tried to seduce me even though I’m engaged.” She’s determined to be right on this if it kills her.

“Oh, don’t do that. You’re bored in your relationship, but that’s not my fault. Anyway, I am completely and totally free to do whatever I want with whomever I want. Don’t you miss that? Miss the pursuit?” Rebecca looks down at her feet and catches a hint of a smile tug at the corners of her lips.

“No, I never really cared for the chase.” She turns her body to face Nathaniel and sits back on her heels to gain some height in comparison. Nathaniel doesn’t believe her. He knows those teasing eyes and prominent displays of affection with her fiancée in front of him tells him she likes the anticipation more than she’s willing to admit.

“Really? To never be with anyone else? To never have another first time or a first kiss?” Nathaniel leans in closer, and Rebecca follows beyond her control.

“What’s so magical about first kisses?” Her voice is softer now, and it seems like some kind of charm is tethering the two of them closer still.

“Well, you can’t be with Cedric if you’re already with Ron,” Nathaniel whispers.

“Stop talking dirty,” Rebecca breathes against his lips and closes the gap between them, sealing their lips together in a heated kiss. Slowly, it unfolds, and their open mouths are pressing against each other, tongues dancing with one another. Hands begin to roam and Rebecca finds one of hers gripping Nathaniel’s shirt and the other grasped around his head while both of Nathaniel’s latch inside of Rebecca’s tight curls. Nathaniel pulls her closer, Rebecca sliding into his lap, and finally she breaks the kiss.

“What the fuck is happening? Oh my god, this is a horrible idea. No, we can’t do this.” Suddenly, Rebecca’s kissing Nathaniel again, but it’s only a second before Nathaniel’s the one pulling back.

“Rebecca, I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want. You literally just lectured me on consent, and I wouldn’t do anything without yours. What do you want, Rebecca?” He’s staring into her eyes searching for something; anything to tell him that she’s as turned on as he is right now, and it’s there. It’s there peeking out of her blown pupils like a child playing hide and seek waiting for someone to chase them out of hiding.

Suddenly, the elevator springs back to life, and the something disappears behind shock and embarrassment, and Rebecca scrambles off of Nathaniel’s lap quickly. She’s a flushed mess of apologies and regret as she puts her heels back on and straightens her dress and hair. Nathaniel knew it; she’s not coming home with him because she just wants attention, not his heart. As soon as the doors open, Rebecca races out of the building without looking back at Nathaniel. An unusual pang of guilt and hurt stabs his heart and gut as he watches Rebecca leave, clearly distraught by the events that transpired.

* * *

Rebecca races home and frantically searches for anyone that would move their wedding date to sooner than two years away. She has to fix this and fast. It was a mistake to let herself get that close to Nathaniel, and she hopes that by making herself unavailable as quickly as she can that she can just forget about stupidly hot and dorky Nathaniel.

“Josh, I have to tell you something. You need to wake up, it’s important.” She frantically wakes Josh up and sits next to him on the bed as she proceeds to tell him what’s going on.

“I have the most amazing news! Your dream is coming true. I called your dream wedding venue and . . . a spot opened up. I mean the venue called me—they called me and we got off the waiting list!” Josh smiles and takes Rebecca’s hands gently in his own.

“Whoa! When is it? What’s the date? Like next year?”

“It’s not next year, it’s not next month, it’s not next week . . . it’s the week after next week.” When Josh gives her a confused stare, she clarifies, “It’s in two weeks. Ahh! The wedding is in two weeks! I know it’s really soon, but it’s the only way our dream could come true.”

“Rebecca, two weeks is insane. You know, Jayma planned her wedding for a year and a half. Why the rush,” Josh asks nervously.

“I thought about it, but it’s not really a rush because was it a rush for you to propose to me?” Josh shakes his head and realizes she does have a point. “Look, you don’t have to do anything. I will take care of everything; I will handle it all. All _you_ have to do is show up and make me the happiest girl in the world, okay?” Rebecca looks into Josh’s eyes lovingly and waits for him to say something cute or romantic or sweet.

“All right,” Josh answers with a half-smile.

“Yay! Oh, I knew you’d say ‘all right.’” She gives Josh a quick peck on the lips and rests her forehead on his. “I’m so excited, I have goosebumps. Hey, do you hear that? The wind stopped. Isn’t that awesome?”

“Yes, I can finally breathe through my nose again.” Rebecca reaches out and cups his face in her hands with a small laugh.

“Oh my god, baby, that is so sexy.” Josh pulls Rebecca on his lap and kisses her hungrily making sure to take care of the spots on her neck where she loves to be kissed. Josh’s hands run up and down her back as she wraps her legs around his hips; eventually, one hand tugs down the back zipper of her dress and the other clenches in her hair.

“You’re so hot, Rebecca,” Josh growls lowly in her ear.

“God, Nathaniel, please” Rebecca moans. It takes Josh aback for a moment, but he continues to kiss a trail down to her collarbone. “Fuck, Nathaniel.” Josh pulls back angrily.

“Rebecca, who the fuck is Nathaniel?” Rebecca snaps out of her horny daze when she doesn’t feel Josh’s lips on her skin anymore, and she looks confused at his angry expression.

“My stupid boss. But why are we talking about him right now?”

“Because you just said his name, Rebecca. In our bed while I was kissing you.”

“What? No, I didn’t. Josh, I wouldn’t do that.” She evades his glance at every possible moment because she doesn’t want to tell him about the kiss in the elevator, but sooner or later, she knows she has to.

“I know what I heard, Rebecca.” Josh slides out of bed and pulls on his pants and shoes and starts to walk towards Rebecca’s front door in a rage. Rebecca chases after him zipping up her dress along the way.

“Josh, I don’t know what I said or if I said what I said—“ Josh turns around with a scathing glare at her.

“Are you seriously going to try to deny that you said someone else’s name in bed, Rebecca? I can’t even believe you right now.” Rebecca stands a respectable distance away from Josh but still manages to keep him inside the house as she begs him to let her explain.

“Josh, I—I’m so, so sorry. I—I was stuck in the elevator at work be—because the power went out when the winds came through, and we—we kissed in the elevator. Nathaniel and I kissed, and I kept telling myself that it was a bad idea because I love you so much, but it happened, but it’s never going to happen again. God, I’m so sorry Josh, just please forgive me. Please?” It doesn’t matter how sadly she looks back at Josh or how many times she says she’s sorry; he can’t forgive her right now.

“I need some air, I need to think.” Josh turns towards the door and promptly slams it shut behind him without looking back at Rebecca collapsing to the ground in a puddle of tears. The hero of this story falls to villainous clutches and now must pay the price of her wrongdoings.

That stupid bitch, she ruined everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo . . . that mega huge ridiculous plot twist . . . yeah, I know that probably makes me evil. I swear I'm not a Slytherin, I'm a Hufflepuff and proud of it :)
> 
> As always, feel free to message me on Tumblr @itsme-ashley-marie or drop me a comment if you have any prompts or things you'd like to see!
> 
> I'm always grateful for those that read and support, so thank you all so much :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the Santa Ana Winds brings some visitors, welcome and unwelcome, and unexpected feelings.

Rebecca alternates bouts of crying with sickening waves of guilt as she sits in bed with her knees to her chest, listening for the sound of the door opening. How could she have been so reckless and irresponsible? This is the human man of her dreams, everything she’s been chasing after since she moved here, so how could she let herself be tempted by her stupid attractive jerk of a boss? Sure, the Devil Winds make people do crazy things, but she knows that she’s at fault for possibly ruining the rest of her future. Tossing and turning, Rebecca finally reaches over and turns the bedside lamp off and relentlessly tries to count sheep behind her eyes. When she wakes up a few hours later, she finds a Post-It note next to her phone.

“Rebecca—Come over later. We need to talk about what happened. –Josh”

As curt as the note is, he’s at least giving her a chance to explain sans hysteria, and it brings Rebecca a small burst of hope for them to work things out. She gets herself dressed after eating breakfast and heads to Josh’s house in hopes to reconcile their relationship. On the car ride over, Rebecca can’t stop thinking of all the ways Josh would break up with her, and even as she tries to map out the conversation in a more positive light, she keeps jumping back to the worst-case scenario that he’ll break up with her, call off the engagement, and publicly shame her about it. But Josh wouldn’t do that, right? That’s just not Josh.

She pauses at the door for a long moment before weakly reaching her hand up to knock. Josh swings the door open quickly and lets one distraught Rebecca enter and sit across from him on the couch.

“Listen, Josh, before you break up with me, I just want to say that I’m sorry again.” Rebecca can barely look Josh in the eyes, and she settles on staring at her anxious fingers.

“Rebecca, what you did was really not okay. You hurt my feelings, not to mention broke my trust. I’m really, really angry with you right now, and I have every reason to call this thing off—“

“Josh, don’t, please,” Rebecca cries softly as she finally looks at her fiancée with tears spilling from her eyes. “Josh, I messed up, and I’m so incredibly sorry for what I did, and I will never do anything like that again. I don’t want to lose you because I just love you so much, okay?” Rebecca draws a quivering breath before continuing.

“Through all of it here in West Covina, you’re the one person who’s never abandoned me no matter how many times I said or did stupid things. You’ve never given up on me, Josh, and—and I don’t know a life here without you in it, so just please don’t make me do this alone?” It’s hard for Josh not to embrace Rebecca and make her stop crying because he hates to see her so upset, but he needs to be the strong one in this situation. He takes a deep breath and turns to face Rebecca.

“Rebecca, I don’t want to break up with you. But this wedding should not happen, not in two weeks anyway.” She wipes under her eyes and finally gains the strength to look up at Josh.

“Look, how about we just push the date back? Maybe some time next year so we can actually plan it all. I want it to be special, Rebecca. You mean a lot to me, and I just want you to have the wedding of your dreams.” Josh reaches over and grasps her hand in his with a soft smile. 

“Josh, I care about you a lot, most times more than I do myself, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be your wife.”

“Even if it means waiting a year?”

“ _ Especially _ if it means waiting a year. I know that I had a moment of weakness, but it’s never going to happen again, I promise.” Josh gives a small nod, looking away from Rebecca, but she’s adamant that he hears her, so she takes squeezes his hands and musters all the conviction inside of her as she looks into Josh’s eyes deeply. “I swear.”

Josh nods and takes a breath before meeting her eyes. “I believe you, Rebecca. I don’t forgive you yet, but I do believe you.”

“That’s fair, and I will do whatever I can to make this right because I love you, Josh Chan.” Josh smiles at her and kisses her cheek.

“I love you, Rebecca Bunch.” She take his face in her hands and gives him a sweet kiss, and instantly, her worries and insecurities melt away.

* * *

Over the next few months, the love bubble patches itself up, and ReJoshecca ChaBunch, as Darryl coined their couple name, is stronger together than ever. They really are crushing the wedding planning thing with the guidance (or rather, command) of Valencia. She’s tough, but she knows how to get shit done, and well. Rebecca is oddly grateful for slowing down the wedding, especially since it gives her time to experience the magic of it all, like picking out colors and flowers and the dress. The dress that her own mother couldn’t bother to fly in and help her pick out, not that she’d listen to a single thing her mother would say anyhow. Notorious mom-pleaser though she is, Rebecca wants to be able to make her own choices about her special day. She only gets one after all, god forbid she end up bitterly divorced like her parents.

Paula’s great through all of it, especially when Rebecca gets stressed about how much there is to do or if it’s not perfect or if no one shows up. She’s there with Rebecca when she tries on dress after dress in the hope of finding one that doesn’t make her look like a whale, and Paula actively shuts down Rebecca’s self-deprecating thoughts before they even leave her mouth. Being a mother has its perks, one of them knowing her way around a hot glue gun, and she’s avidly putting together ideas for centerpieces for the table. Heather actually tags alongside Paula with her keen eyes for design to help with decorations and venue arrangements. Darryl is ever the emotional support and champion for both Rebecca and Josh.

Rebecca feels like floating; all of her friends coming together helping her to plan the wedding of her dreams to the man of her dreams.

And then there’s Nathaniel, hanging in the background, voiceless among the chatter. He looks on silently and doesn’t boast about his conquests since the Rebecca debacle, especially not around her. The two remain professional around the office, respecting each other’s bounds and maintaining conversation only as long as necessary. For the first time in a while, Rebecca looks truly happy, and Nathaniel knows he can’t disrupt that in favor of his own interests. Sometimes, it’s borderline annoying how chipper she is at 8 AM, but it doesn’t stop him from admiring the genuine smile on her face and glow on her cheeks from afar. This is how it was always supposed to be. He is just a means to and end with Josh Chan, and all it took was a long-ago one night stand and a desperate kiss in an elevator for her to realize that Nathaniel was mere sand next to the glitter of Josh Chan.

* * *

It’s two weeks out from the wedding, and Rebecca’s initial excited butterflies transform into nervous, almost sickly, butterflies. She says she’s not stressed and that everything is fine, but anyone with a working pair of eyes can see something’s clearly bothering Rebecca. After Rebecca gets short with Paula, Paula decides to intervene and pulls Rebecca away from prying eyes to discuss what’s going on.

“Rebecca, what’s bothering you? You’ve been like this for days. Did something happen with Josh? Are you two fighting? Oh god, please don’t tell me something happened with Nathaniel--”

“No, Paula, I just don’t want to talk about it,” Rebecca snaps. Paula carefully reaches out her hand to place it on Rebecca’s shoulder, but she flinches and shrinks away from her touch making herself impossibly small in the corner of the kitchen. Rebecca folds her arms over her stomach on the edge of throwing up and sniffles quietly. “He’s not coming,” she whispers.

“What was that, honey?” Paula keeps her distance, doesn’t try to invade, and lets Rebecca open up out of her own accord. She sniffles again as her shoulders begin to shake.

“He’s not coming, Paula.” Rebecca’s voice is louder than before but still just as fragile.

“Who’s not coming?”

Rebecca can barely get the words out when she begins to cry louder, and all of her weakness overtakes her in a rush of hot tears against her cheeks. Finally, she sucks in a quivering breath and grips her forearms white-knuckled, staring at the floor. “My dad.”

Paula can’t stop herself from scooping Rebecca into a fierce hug as the bride-to-be cries into her shoulder, and thankfully, Rebecca wraps her arms around her best friend and lets herself muffle her sobs into her shoulder. Rebecca knows that she shouldn’t care if her garbage father shows up or not since he’s been absent all these years, but it’s her fucking wedding day, and it’s one of the most important moments in her life.

“Cookie, I’m so, so sorry. What can I do to help? Anything?” Rebecca lifts her head slowly and shrugs as she casts her eyes down to the floor again.

“You could give my stupid father some human decency, there’s a start.” Rebecca leans back against the wall and rests her head there with her eyes closed as she tries to regain some composure. “Paula, I just want everything to be perfect and special and exactly how I pictured it. I mean, you’ve seen my 8 year-old wedding plans.”

She has, practically the second Josh proposed, Rebecca scoured her diary from the back of her closet and showed Paula the incredibly detailed drawings of the venue and decorations and the bullet-point outline of her guest list. At the time, her father was on the top tier.

“Listen, I know it seems like the whole world is falling down around you, but you’ve got me and Darryl and Heather and Valencia. I mean, we’re all here to make you feel special and to give you the wedding you deserve. Yes, this is a little bump in the road, but I promise you, honey, we are going to work this thing out, and everything is going to be fine.” Paula opens her arms to Rebecca, and she graciously accepts the warm embrace, settling into its comfort for just a moment. Rebecca opens her eyes as her chin rests on Paula’s shoulder and finds one concerned Nathaniel watching her, and when their eyes find each other, Nathaniel looks away quickly to deny that he saw anything.

Of course, he saw everything. He recognized the death grip she used to gain control of her surroundings. He noticed the forced lightheartedness in the way she described her diary entries about her wedding. What he saw the most, though, was the sad vulnerability in her eyes at the mention of her father not showing up to her wedding. No one deserves to be let down like that, especially not someone like Rebecca. Kind-hearted, passionate, talented,  _ beautiful _ Rebecca.

He clears his throat softly and leaves the area to corral the snooping employees.

The employees of Whitefeather aren’t the only ones who enjoy snooping. The next day, the elevator door dings and out steps Nathaniel Plimpton Sr. looking hypercritical as per usual. The judgment on his face only heightens as he witnesses the employees buzzing around the office, though instead of discussing business at hand, the topic of the hour is the unidentified insect on the wall of the conference room that no one will go exterminate. A heated battle of Rock Paper Scissors is brewing at the copier, and even as Nathaniel Sr. regards the gathered employees coldly, they don’t realize who just walked in.

Paula, on the other hand, goes into immediate panic mode at the sight of her boss’s boss and attempts to create a diversion from the stupidity going on.

“Mr. Plimpton Sr., to what do we owe this great pleasure?”

“Well, I’m here to check in on Nathaniel. I was in the area and just wanted to see how things are going around here.” He refuses to meet Paula’s eyes as he heads towards Nathaniel’s office. He opens the door and stands in the doorway and waits for Nathaniel to lift his head from his hands. Flustered, Nathaniel stands up as he finds his father standing there with a stony expression.

“Pop!” Nathaniel’s voice cracks unintentionally, and he clears his throat. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon. I thought you were away for another few days. You’re looking well, how are things?” Nathaniel Sr. holds up his hand to pause his son’s rambling.

“Please, save your breath, Nathaniel. I’ll only be a moment.” The office door slams as Nathaniel’s father enters the office, and Rebecca, who has been diligently staring at her computer unconscious of the scene around her, snaps her head around to find a frighteningly familiar situation in her midst behind the glass door.

“I gave you a very simple task, Nathaniel. You were supposed to turn this firm into a well-oiled Plimpton machine, but all I see are a bunch of misfit toys running around. I thought you were better than this. I expect more from you.” Nathaniel straightens his shoulders but can’t make eyes with his father; instead, his eyes bore into his fisted hands at his sides.

“I’m sorry, sir. I know I can do better.” All of a sudden, a frantic Maya knocks at the door and opens it without an invitation to enter and rambles off barely pausing for breath.

“Sorry to bother you, Nathaniel, but Karen wanted me to tell you that she went home because Long John Slither is sick again, and she would have told you herself, but you seem like you’re really busy in here, so I’m just gonna go now. Okay, bye.” Maya scampers away as Nathaniel closes his eyes and waits for his father’s stern disapproval.

“Unbelievable. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re turning into one of these misfit toys yourself. It’s a shame, really.”

“Dad, not everyone is like us and loves to work all the time. I respect that these people have lives outside of the office, okay?” Nathaniel’s voice begins to raise and grow more frantic and defensive by the minute. Under the squashing chokehold of his father’s dissent, Nathaniel is left helpless.

“Oh, stop being so dramatic, Nathaniel. I don’t know what’s gotten into you. I raised you to be better than this.” After a pause to collect his composure, Nathaniel’s father backs towards the door, lowering his voice. “This place, these people, they’ve changed you. I’m starting to wonder if you’re really fit to take on this job.”

“Sir, I can promise you I am. I mean, look at our numbers, you can see how much we’ve been improving from the previous quarter. I can and will do this if you’d let me--” Nathaniel feels out of touch like his mind is escaping his body, and the only thing keeping him grounded is the sting of his nails digging fiercely into his balled fists.

“You baffle me, Nathaniel. You always have,” his father scoffs. “We’ll discuss this later when I can safely breathe through my nose.” With that, Nathaniel Sr. slams the door and exits the office without regard for anyone around him. The employees who haven’t excused themselves to take shelter from the father/son fallout look around at each other making silent conversations of how to proceed.

Rebecca and Paula exchange glances for a few moments before Rebecca pushes her chair out to stand up and makes her way towards Nathaniel’s office against Paula’s best wishes. Something about the last five minutes gave her an eerie sense of deja vu, and she’s determined to give Nathaniel the comfort she would want in that situation. Slowly, she taps on the door and pushes it ever so slightly open.

“Hi. Can I come in?” Nathaniel gives no response and remains with his hands scrubbing his face, eyes drilling holes into his desk. Rebecca doesn’t push to move towards him, but she does close the door behind her and leans against it. “Listen, I get it. My relationship with my dad is . . . well, it’s pretty fucked up, as you’ve been able to see, I’m sure. But I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk about that, about anything--”

“Rebecca,” Nathaniel says warningly. He’s spiraling into sensational overdrive and his train of emotion shows no signs of stopping. It’s too much.

“I’m serious, it’s not a problem. My mom and I get in fights like that, and I always wish I had someone to comfort me after we fight, and--” Suddenly, Nathaniel slams his hands on the desk.

“Rebecca!”

The words die on her tongue. His exclamation stuns her. Sure, they’ve had their fair share of heated verbal spats, but he’s never raised his voice at her like that. Rebecca glances at Nathaniel with wide eyes and notices how unlike himself he is. Eyes glassy, begging for relief from his inner turmoil, his knuckles blanched as he grips his desk for an anchor. Nathaniel, who glides around the office composed and self-assured and perfect, for the first time looks  _ human _ .

When Nathaniel finally meets her eyes, Rebecca’s vulnerable eyes shatter his heart impossibly further. The guilt he feels staring at the brokenness of her pleading expression and unselfish ache to heal him runs ice-cold through his veins. He didn’t mean to hurt her, but he did.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I just want to be alone right now, okay,” Nathaniel requests between hard swallows of tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

“Nathaniel--”

“Please,” he implores almost inaudibly. As much as it pains her, Rebecca takes her cue to leave Nathaniel be with a resigned nod as she turns the door handle and softly closes it behind her. She makes a beeline for the bathroom and barely makes it there before a wave of sickness washes over her grasping the edges of the bathroom counter for dear life while Nathaniel sits almost identically to her at his desk wishing his pain could take a vacation. But Plimptons don’t believe in vacations . . . or sick, he adds after dry heaving in the trash can on the floor. Dry your eyes, flush out the chlorine, apologize to your father. Back to work.

* * *

The next few days pass without much commotion, thankfully for both Rebecca and Nathaniel. After the incident with his father, the two didn’t speak much beyond the obligatory “good morning” and passed documents between one another mundanely like vegetables at the dinner table. There was no spark, no spice, no snappy snare to fill their minds when their hands graze accidently.

If she was really honest with herself, Rebecca would be able to say that she misses the banter between Nathaniel and her. Even if it’s not from a place of sexual desire or tension, their quick comebacks and exchanges of sarcasm make her work day a little brighter, though how much work she’s actually doing becomes a frequent subject of Nathaniel’s quips at her. Unfortunately, today is just another of those uneventful days.

“Rebecca, that zoning motion you turned in, are you serious?” She spoke too soon. Rebecca looks up from her scattered papers incredulously. “Darryl and I need to see you in his office ASAP.”

“What?” There was nothing wrong with what she turned in; she double and triple checked just to be certain she only had to see Nathaniel once.

“Come on,” he says, motioning for her to get up. Rebecca gives an eye roll as she swivels around in her chair and heaves a dramatic sigh. She walks out of the conference room in hot pursuit of Darryl’s office to demand answers about the quality of her work, but when she looks up, her entire body tenses up and freezes on the spot. 

It can’t be. It’s impossible. There’s no way—

“Dad?”

Indeed, Silas Bunch is about five feet from her with a soft smile next to Darryl, who will burst into tears any second at the sweet reunion. Rebecca rushes forward into her father’s arms in disbelief and relaxes into his embrace before the thoughts creep in that this may be too good to be true. After stepping back from him, Rebecca pinches her arm to confirm her wakefulness.

“You’re here, you’re—you’re really here. How, how are you here?”

“Someone sent a private plane.” Silas gives a small nod to Nathaniel that makes Rebecca turn back towards him with wide eyes.

“It rarely gets used,” Nathaniel says nonchalantly. While it’s not a big of a deal to him, to Rebecca, he’s restored her dream wedding, and no amount of words can express her gratitude. So, she silently walks towards him and pulls him into a tight embrace.

It’s unexpected how tightly she hugs, but Nathaniel politely reciprocates the gesture and suddenly realizes she’s never hugged him before. Not after the water case, not after the . . . well,  _ that _ kind of hug doesn’t really count, though he remembers how she clung to him dragging her nails down his back. He will fiercely deny to anyone who asks if he remembers that.

“Thank you,” Rebecca whispers breathily as Nathaniel returns her embrace and registers his touch at her back that still sets her skin and emotions ablaze. They have no romantic relationship, but somehow, Nathaniel makes her feel loved and needed and  _ safe _ . She steps out of the hug but keeps her hands on his arms, refusing to leave his safety net just yet. “Why would you do this?”

“Because . . . I know what it’s like to care about your dad and what he thinks, even if you wish you didn’t.” Rebecca takes a shaky breath and squeezes his hand, staring up at him with all the sincerity she can muster.

“Thank you,” she repeats, slower this time so that he takes in each word and gives himself credit for his unnecessary but unforgettable favor to her. Nathaniel didn’t have to do it, but he wanted to. 

After the lifetime of pain and suffering he had experienced from his dad, something compelled him to want to piece together Rebecca’s relationship with her father knowing full well that no amount of apologies or attempts to reconcile his own relationship with Rebecca would fix the hurt he caused. Months later, the guilt still consumes him day in and day out as she stumbles on eggshells around him in the office, and Nathaniel is left to wonder, never knowing if asking if she needs something is saying too much or too little. So he keeps his composure, stands up straight and tall, and makes sure to look down to dodge the land mines hidden in the clicks of her heels.

Father and daughter embrace again making up for lost time as Darryl quietly sniffles in the background at the beautiful scene. Even Nathaniel feels a tear begin to well up in the corner of his eye. Rebecca talks animatedly to her father about the preparations and all of the things she still has to do, and she takes him over to meet Paula but not before giving one last glance at Nathaniel. One bright blue-eyed, wondrous, classic Rebecca Bunch glance. There she is. 

That one glance made up for the week’s headaches and heartbreaks because Rebecca Bunch is officially back in action.

* * *

The weekend was filled with catching up with her dad when he wasn’t on work calls, of course, finalizing her vows, and a girl group spa day complete with a bridal party wine night and sleepover. Now only one week away from the day she’s been fantasizing about for years on end, the butterflies are back and singing arias as they dance around in celebration of a job well done.

It’s Monday morning, and Rebecca’s up bright and early to head into the office. She’s got about a half hour to spare before she actually needs to head in, so she decides to run in to the coffee shop near the office to get her morning caffeine and a breakfast meal that’s healthier and more sustainable than a Pop-Tart. Rebecca orders her coffee and bagel sandwich and browses through Facebook while she waits. She thinks that’s her drink on the counter, so she looks up to see and finds an unexpected face reaching for the green concoction in the plastic cup.

“Nathaniel?” Her voice catches his attention, and he has to pretend like he hasn’t been seeing her for the last five minutes because of course he has. When the bell chimes as the shop door opens, she’s visibly lighter, which has nothing to do with her figure. She’s traded out her pencil skirts for a sundress and heels for strappy sandals, and the normally tight curls in her hair fall gracefully into waves to her shoulders. The tension that seemed plastered into the crease of her forehead and furrow of her eyebrows has melted away, leaving a hopeful glow in its wake.

My God, she’s stunning as ever.

“Oh, hey, Rebecca, good morning. How was your weekend?” Rebecca smiles as she walks over to him with the spring in her step he’s missed seeing from her.

“Really great, actually! The bridal party and I had an  _ amazing  _ spa day, and I got one of those fish pedicures, which was really weird at first, but it actually felt nice. My dad was pretty swamped with work all weekend, so we didn’t get to see each other much. Wait, I have to tell you about--”

“Rebecca?” The barista calls out that he food and drink are ready, so she pauses mid-sentence and returns with her chai tea latte and egg and cheese bagel sandwich neatly packaged.

“Wow, something that’s not 95% carbs? That’s new, I’m impressed,” Nathaniel teases. Rebecca rolls her eyes playfully.

“Shut up, I actually had time to eat something this morning. Though I’m not sure I wanna eat now,” Rebecca turns her nose up at the horrible green liquid Nathaniel is holding. “That looks horrifying.”

“It’s a plant-based protein smoothie that has basically half of the vitamins and minerals I need for the entire day. Spinach, kale, cauliflower . . . you can try some if you want?”

“If you wanna add my barf to that ingredients list, then sure.” They share a laugh, and Rebecca takes a sip of her latte before clearing her throat. “Listen, Nathaniel, I just want to thank you again for bringing my dad in. That was . . . one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me.”

“Rebecca, you really don’t have to thank me.”

“But I do. I mean, you made my eight year-old wedding dreams come true, and after my dad left, I wrote a new draft of my wedding journal because I didn’t know if he would be there or not, but I always held onto hope that he would, and he did, and that’s because of you.” 

She’s looking up at him with such admiration and gratitude that Nathaniel’s heart swells inside his chest. This moment would be the peak of a grand romantic waltz across a sparkling ballroom floor with violins and cellos rising in elegant crescendos as she takes into a gravity defying lift while he holds her safely and lets her spirit fly. She would soar into oblivion, and he would help her down gently and scoop her into his arms and-- 

“So, you’ll be at the wedding, right?”

Suddenly, it’s like the chandelier crashes down in the center of the ballroom, and his dream world is enveloped in darkness.

“Rebecca, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Nathaniel says cautiously, dropping his voice to almost a whisper.

“Why not? I want you there, especially after what you did for me.”

“Considering I almost broke up your wedding, I don’t think I’d be very welcome.” Not to mention, seeing her walk down the aisle to someone who doesn’t deserve her charm and intelligence kills him inside. Rebecca sets her food and drink on the table next to her and reaches out to take his hands gently.

“Hey, it was a long time ago. You can’t keep feeling guilty about it. It happened, sure, but we’re past that now. Please don’t let that stop you from coming if you want to. I would love for you to be there if you want to be.” Nathaniel simply nods and gives her hands a small squeeze.

“Okay, I’ll be there.” He offers a small smile in hopes she doesn’t see the pain he feels with the upturn of his lips. Nathaniel starts to release his hands from her grip, but Rebecca doesn’t loosen her hold; she pauses with his hands in her own, looks down at their tangled fingers, and takes Nathaniel by surprise by wrapping her arms around his middle. He reciprocates her embrace quicker this time now that prying office eyes aren’t upon them. 

He takes the moment as a fleeting release of intense emotion, but he knows that there’s something special in this embrace. Nathaniel takes the time to memorize the way she feels, so soft and feminine curled against his chest, and it’s not until now he takes note of how tiny she is without heels on. He’s at the perfect height to tip forward just slightly and rest his chin atop her head or plant a whispered kiss there, but she’s his friend and he’s hers, and they’re hugging . . . like friends do. When she pulls back from the embrace, she stays close to him and takes a deep breath.

“Nathaniel, despite what I may have said about you being a loveless asshole or handsome Hitler, you’re a great person and a great friend. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.” She smiles up at him, and he returns it down to her. The silence is perfect and necessary . . . and then her stomach growls, loudly. Rebecca laughs as a blush strikes her cheeks, and she covers her face with her hands. “And apparently the bottom of my stomach too.”

Nathaniel laughs at that and starts to walk towards the door as Rebecca follows behind. Before he can make it to the door, Nathaniel turns to face Rebecca. “Why don’t you stay here and eat? Relax a bit, and come in 30.”

Rebecca quirks an eyebrow and stares back at Nathaniel in disbelief. “You’re  _ letting _ me come in late? First this, what’s next? A paid day off?” Rebecca pauses for a brief moment and gives an exaggerated gasp. “Mandatory vacation on your private jet?” Nathaniel casually rolls his eyes.

“Call it an early wedding gift. But you tell anyone, and I rescind my RSVP, got it?” Rebecca gives him a mock salute and settles at a high top table near the door. “I mean it, you’re one minute late, and I’m docking your pay.” 

“You should dock your own too because you’re about to be late,” Rebecca teases as she bites into her egg and cheese sandwich. She winks at him and waves him off with a sweet smile.

“I’m the boss, I can do what I want. Enjoy your breakfast, Rebecca,” Nathaniel says with a genuine smile and smiles back at her one last time before heading out the door, bells clanging against the glass upon his exit.

Rebecca sighs and laughs to herself. This felt normal, it felt good, it felt right. That’s the way things were between them before all of the weirdness set in after the kiss in the elevator a year ago. It’s amazing what can happen in a year, she thinks. So much happens that we remember, but we forget so much too. That kiss, his touch, his cologne . . . some things just stick with you no matter how much you’d like to bury them away.

She is glad, however, to see him joking with her again like he used to and slowly finding comfort around her. Maybe after the wedding and the dust has settled on what happened in the past, Rebecca could focus on her future professional life with Nathaniel and domestic life with Josh.

While Rebecca is looking forward to the future, some people are looking to dredge up the past. Caught up in their embrace, neither Rebecca nor Nathaniel notices a camera lens peeking from above a newspaper that captures a picture of the two coworkers hugging intimately. Enter one Trent Maddock, whose intense adoration for Rebecca has not fleeted ever since she kicked him out and chose both Nathaniel and Josh over him. As they say, hell hath no fury like a lover scorned.

“Oh, Rebecca, you make this too easy,” Trent smirks to himself. Phase One of his mission is now complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was a lot . . . and there's more to come soon!
> 
> Up Next: Phase Two is commenced. These missions have casualties, so who will be caught in the crossfire? You'll find out soon!
> 
> Thanks for sticking with this, and I hope you're enjoying it so far!

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was super fun to write! If you'd like me to continue it, let me know down in the comments! Also feel free to message me on Tumblr if you have prompts you'd like me to write @itsme-ashley-marie :)


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